


Strange Bird

by nirvanaflames (orphan_account)



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-23
Updated: 2016-01-23
Packaged: 2018-05-15 17:07:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,831
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5792887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nirvanaflames
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A plate can never be fully restored once it has a crack, but if it is still usable, what we have now will suffice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Strange Bird

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by Birdy's Strange Bird as well as Keeping Your Head Up.  
> Disclaimer: some italicized lines are from the anime. i take no credit. :P

 

_\---Teiko setting---_

 

“Akashicchi’s been acting odd lately,” Kise says, twisting his lips. He tugs his jersey shirt off and chucks it into the locker.

 

Aomine sits on the bench tying his shoes. “Whatever. We won the match. That’s all that matters.”

 

Kuroko silently listens to his teammates talk. Aomine heads to the exit, causing Midorima to question him. “Where are you going, Aomine? We still have a meeting.”

 

The ace merely turns around, eyes glazed with cold apathy. “I did my part today. I’m out.”

 

Kuroko notices the irked glint in Midorima’s eyes as he lowly growls, “ _Aomine._ ”

“Midorimacchi, it’s ok. I mean Aominecchi did-”

 

Midorima’s locker closes with an unexpected amount of force. He stalks out the room, grumbling about Aomine and his idiocy. Kise sighs lamentably and fixes his tie. “Not even Kurokocchi could persuade Aominecchi.”

 

Kuroko shuts his locker and it sounds off a light click. Kise whirls around, alerted of the other presence. “Kurokocchi!”

 

“I’ll be leaving now, Kise-kun. Please turn off the lights when you leave.” Kuroko barely made it past the bench when he suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest. A high-pitched screech wailed somewhere in the far distance. His vision quickly became fuzzy and the world before him came toppling down, crumbling into disoriented shatters.

 

_…That is a practice you no longer have need for, isn’t it?_

 

///

 

Kuroko lies on the ground with his eyes closed. He’s exhausted. Akashi’s training regiment feels like it’s increased in terms of difficulty. “I don’t think I can handle this.”

 

Footsteps echo. They approach him. “What are you talking about, Tetsu? Of course, you can handle it.”

 

“Aomine-kun?” Kuroko says, removing his arm from his eyes.

 

“Get up.”

Kuroko grabs onto Aomine’s extended hand, pulling himself up. A smile grows on his face and then he’s falling down to the ground again. Aomine’s strong hand is gone.

 

Reality sinks in.

 

_A plate can never be fully restored once it has a crack._

 

Kuroko’s overcome with sorrow.

 

///

 

Those blue lashes flutter, revealing a set of confused eyes. Kuroko stares straight ahead, absorbing the sight before him. Akashi stands at the foot of his bed with arms crossed. “Tetsuya.”

 

Kuroko calls upon his voice only to find that it’s hoarse and broken. He winces at the lump in his throat and settles back into his pillows. Momoi bites her lips nervously.

 

“Tetsu-kun, you fell unconscious in the locker room. Ki-chan notified us.”

 

Kuroko shuts his eyes, trying to process things. “Is this a dream?”

 

“No,” Akashi says. “You’ve been sleeping for a day, Tetsuya.”

 

“I see,” Kuroko replies, his tone dead.

 

Of course it’s not a dream. He should’ve known because if it were a dream, Aomine would be here. Kuroko’s positive.

 

“Rest until you’ve recuperated, Tetsuya.”

 

Kuroko slips back into his slumber. He’s not sure if he even gave Akashi a reply. All he knows, _feels,_ is that he wants to see Aomine again.

 

///

 

 

Kuroko returns to practice a week later. Kise comes flocking to him first. He throws his arms around the shorter male and hugs him tight. “Kurokocchi! Are you okay? Is your health better? Does your body ache? Take it easy on yourself today!”

 

Kuroko scans the gym, hoping to spot a certain person.

 

“Welcome back Tetsuya,” Akashi greets with Momoi beside him. “I expect the regiment to be completed as usual.”

 

Kise spins around. “Kurokocchi just got back though!”

 

Akashi tilts his head. “I was going to continue, Ryota. Tetsuya can take things at his own pace, just as long as he completes it by the end of practice.”

 

Kuroko nods. “Understood.”

 

“Perfect,” Akashi says.

 

….

 

Kuroko runs around the track. He feels light on his feet. His body moves without him fully aware. Everything is a blur. Time is a blur. He doesn’t keep track of anything, not even the amount of times he’s circled the track.

 

His mind is blank. Empty.

 

Kuroko rounds the curve, suddenly breaking into a sprint. He feels the air being sucked into his body. Something flashes in his mind. A hand. A shard of a shattered memory. He asks himself _who?_ Who is that person that makes his heart churn with longing and sadness?

 

“Tetsu-kun!”

 

Kuroko can hear the faint voices.

 

“Kurokocchi!”

 

He’s too far to go back.

 

“Tetsu! Stop running!”

 

The last voice is lost in the ocean of voices but the mere sound of it makes Kuroko temporarily stop. He tries to make sense of that voice but fails to. He keeps running, keeps searching.

 

Before Kuroko can progress much, a firm hand clamps down on his shoulder. Aomine growls with frustration. “Tetsu, you’re gonna break down at this point! Stop running!”

 

Somewhere inside Kuroko, something snaps. The gears of his mind unfreeze and he remembers whose voice this is. “Aomine-kun.”

 

“Yeah it’s me, Tets-” Aomine’s surprised and confused at the member’s sudden action. Kuroko tightly clings to him, face pressed against his chest, seeking shelter. “Aomine-kun,” Kuroko murmurs over and over.

 

It’s enough to make Aomine question whether Kuroko’s still sick or not. Aomine narrows his eyes, taking note of Kuroko’s twitching leg muscles. His knees are wobbly, body slightly shaking from overexertion.

 

Aomine’s eyes take on a heated glare and he directs it at Akashi. Akashi remains unperturbed.

 

_Even you two, the light and its shadow…because the light was too strong, it started to go out of balance._

 

Aomine takes a step back, ready to confront Akashi, but Kuroko doesn’t let go. He protests. “Aomine-kun has to stay.”

 

…

 

Kuroko and Aomine walk home together. They stop by the convenience store and grab some popsicles. Aomine regards Kuroko with caution, as if he’d collapse any moment now.

 

Kuroko looks the other way, nibbling on his pink popsicle. He resists the urge to smile. Aomine is by his side once again. His heart is satisfied. The longing is satiated.

 

They ascend the bridge, stopping midway.

 

Aomine glances at Kuroko, peeved. “You should’ve stopped Tetsu.”

 

Kuroko gazes down at the scenery below them. “But if I did, Aomine-kun would’ve never came to practice.”

 

“Tetsu! Do you know how worried I was when Satsuki came crying to me about you?” Aomine takes a big bite from his treat, hoping to cool down. He clenches his eyes and stomps his foot at the overbearing iciness.

 

“I’m glad Aomine-kun came for me.”

 

Aomine pouts at his popsicle stick. He didn’t win the prize. When he catches sight of a smiling Kuroko, he feels his heart skip a beat. He quickly dismisses it and responds by scratching the back of his head. “You know, Tetsu, you make it seem like I’m back from the dead.”

 

“For a moment there, I forgot who I was yearning for.”

 

Aomine sighs with exasperation, not entirely comprehending the things Kuroko speaks about. “Look Tetsu, just because I don’t attend practice, that doesn’t mean I’m out of your life, got it?”

 

Kuroko is filled with reassurance.

 

///

 

The reassurance Kuroko once felt dissipates when Aomine and Akashi argue. He wasn’t supposed to witness it but he did. He stands outside the propped open gym door, hands gripping the basketball.

 

“What kind of a captain are you, Akashi! Tetsu was at his breaking point and you didn’t even bother to stop him!”

 

“Daiki, you fail to see Tetsuya’s capabilities.”

 

“Are you blind? Everyone there could see how close he was to collapsing!”

 

“A little stretch does no harm, Daiki.”

 

“A _little?_ ” Aomine repeats, incredulous. “That was clearly too much for him to handle!”

 

“Daiki, the issue here isn’t how much Tetsuya can handle.” Akashi’s voice cuts deep. Kuroko finds the silence stifling. He’s anxious; the beating of his heart, the rush of his blood is loud in his ears.

 

“If anything, Daiki, it is your own shortcomings that have proven to be too much of a stretch for Tetsuya.”

 

“What are you talking about, Akashi?”

 

Kuroko watches the rain pour. He remembers the day he chased after Aomine in hopes of persuading him to return to practice.

 

_For what purposes do I need to practice? You realize I already win even if I don’t want to? You want me to crush my opponents that have lost the will to fight even further?_

_What part of it do you understand? How could someone who can’t even do anything by himself understand this?_

“Daiki, you’ve already relinquished your shadow.”

 

_And who is that pass for?_

_You realize I can win against anyone by myself now, even without your passes?_

“Don’t fuck around with me, Akashi!”

 

“Daiki. You know I don’t play around. I’m simply stating the facts. In the midst of your own troubles, you’ve pushed Tetsuya to the maximum and further distanced yourself from him.”

 

_The only one that can win against me is me. From that day, I haven’t got a pass from you. It was so recent, but it feels like the distant past already. I’ve already forgotten even how to receive your passes._

 

“Unfortunately, in the process, you let Tetsuya go,” Akashi says. “Tetsuya understands this. His body knows of it, recognizes it. It’s only the human heart of his that refuses to acknowledge it.”

 

“…why do you have that bird, Akashi?” Aomine asks, wary.

 

“It appears Tetsuya’s taken interest in me.”

 

“Don’t you fucking lie! Tetsu would never leave me for you!”

 

Kuroko winces. The lump he once had comes back, lodged into his throat. He’s unable to speak. All he can do is stand behind the door and let the tears stream down. The stabbing pain in his chest sears again. The high-pitched screeching noise wails once more.

 

“It’s been said that some people’s souls are entrapped within the body of animals. Tetsuya’s soul is carried inside of this bird, Daiki.”

 

“Tetsu’s been with me the longest. The bird will recognize me,” Aomine replies.

 

“Such conviction, Daiki,” Akashi muses. “Very well. Let’s see.”

 

Kuroko digs his fingers into the basketball. He prays his soul will go to Aomine. _Please, please go to Aomine-kun._ Trepidation.

 

Something’s wrong. Kuroko knows it, _senses it_.

 

The bird flies back into the hands of Akashi.

 

Despair—both Kuroko and Aomine feel it. They both wonder what went wrong.

 

Everything shatters. Kuroko’s left alone in the darkness. The basketball in his hand disintegrates into a stream of sand, billowing away in the wind. _What went wrong?_

 

Kuroko hears the clang of metal. He feels the bending of wire. Something warm on his back. A delicate caress on his cheek. “ _Wake up, Tetsuya._ _I’ve given you new wings to fly with.”_

///

 

“Wake up, Tetsuya.” Akashi strokes the sleeping man’s face. “I saved your broken soul, Tetsuya. Do you loathe me so much you’d be willing to constantly loop through your nightmare?”

 

A strange little bird with wire wings silently sits in the metal cage.

 

“It’s odd, isn’t it? The thing I once told you Tetsuya.”

 

_A plate can never be fully restored once it has a crack, but if it is still usable, what we have now will suffice._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you tumblr anon for the reminder. I finished it. ^^


End file.
